I would say avoid fats and fiber the day before the race and the morning of the race. PB can be a bear to digest, and it signals your body to be satiated and slows digestion and absorption.

For a long race, you're looking to get around 10kcal per kg of body weight (or more if you can stand it) in the morning. I like to get a little bit of protein but mostly carbs from a variety of sources... whole grain oatmeal, instant oatmeal, white bread, wheat bread, yogurt, skim milk, jelly, egg whites or boiled eggs, waffles, etc.

Do you take caffiene? This helps me get off to a good start, both in the bathroom and on the ride.

When using powdered drinks as a breakfast, make sure you are mixing it with the right amounts of water, as if it's too strong, it won't digest as easily.

Night before a big workout I usually have the same thing... whole grain chicken pizza or overcooked pasta, salty red sauce, and chicken.

good luck!

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Eric Reid AeroFit | Instagram Portfolio
Aerodynamic Retul Bike Fitting

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First off, I would not continue to use something that was giving me problems. ( Perpetuem? )

For what it's worth, here's what works for me for IM-

I eat kinda light a few days before then 2 days before I load up on carbs but not crazy. I wake up at 4am and have 3 ensures ( regular not extra fiber )
Cup of oatmeal, 2 english muffins with a little butter and some hot tea
on the way to the race I'll have a half of cup of coffee and start sipping gatorade endurance
a banana and a gel before the swim and a trip to the porta potty and I'm ready to go

Infinite on the bike- (2) 600 calorie bottles and gatorade and water from the course
a gel about every 45 mins ( I can't take too much more than that ) and bar each time on the out and back

and on the run i alternate gatorade and water and take a gel when I can stomach it
On the second loop I'll have soup and coke as needed

also I take a salt tab the night before and 2 before the swim and 2 to start the bike and 1 every hour until my fingers start to swell a little, ( usually in the middle of the run ) then I back off depending on the temp

I've felt a little queasy on the run around 16 miles but I had some soup and pretzels and it helped


TTT
Eagleman
LP
Iroquois Trail 100 Relay
Cozumel

There are some excellent and really tasty baby food options (porridge with bannana, oatmeal, plain apple, etc etc...). Just make sure you eat enough to reach your desired calories.
I find baby food very easy to digest.

It's a highly individual thing and depends on what is normal diet consists of. If I ate what Eric suggest I would be on the toilet for hours. These are the things I have learned ;

Eat normally in the days leading up to the race (it's easy to put on 3 to 5 Lbs which you don't need). Normally can include high fiber foods if that is what you are used to. If you are used to going to the toilet 2 to 3 times a day then your digestive system is capable of clearing out regularly. If you only go once a day or less then you have diet issues that are broader then this discussion. If that's you then reduce fiber the day before.

The reduced training volume will ensure your glycogen stores are topped up so carbo loading is unnecessary..

Don't pig out the day / night before. It's an added stress to your system you don't need.

Stuffing a big race day breakfast into yourself can lead to GI problems. I think the calorie "targets" for breakfast are very overstated.

I like rice based cereals as they are very easy to digest. Rice and Shine or Koala Crip work well for me with Almond Milk.

What you eat before your long workouts? Do you have problems then?

Eat just what you would normally eat in the days preceding the event. For long training sessions or before events we have a 20 oz bottle of Perp with 2 scoops in and consume while we are getting ready to go out. A gel on the startline perhaps.
This avoids having to sacrifice sleep to eat and allow time for solid food to digest. Puts in sufficient calories to get going and provides hydration before starting.

I would say 5 scoops of Perp for breakfast was waaaaay too much. How much water did you take with it?

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Trust me I’m a doctor!
Well, I have a PhD :-)

I eat the same thing every morning from breakfast. And I literally mean every day. I actually enjoy it and look forward to eat.

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Greg Richards
Morgan Hill, Ca

Hi all,
Lately I have been eating Cream of Rice or about 3 packets of instant oats or just 2 servings of regular oats. I toss in alittle rice protein powder with rice milk and honey (I am a vegan/vegetarian). I do drink tea or coffee (trying to go off coffee but still drink it sometimes). I am able to hit the porta potty OK on race morning and am fine swimming/biking (maybe it is the Perpetuem?!) but about halfway through the marathon have GI issues. I intend to really try out my pre-ride food this summer before IM Moo by doing a longish ride and a longish run. What I eat now before riding (3-5 hrs) doesn't bother me when I am running for 45min-1 hr afterwards but a longer run is another issue.... I can't load up on food on race morning very well (nerves, the looming portapotty during the marathon!). I mixed my 5 scoops of perpetuem with water so it was a soup like consistency (sounds delightful--huh?!).

KK

Try to take some imodium in T2 and see if that helps. Helps some people, but has been hit or miss with me.

i just accept that I'm going to have to find a bathroom at mile 3-5 of the run. And if I don't have to, then i consider myself lucky that day. If I do, then I start looking at mile 3 to find one I can get in and out of quickly. I'm usually running out still pulling up my shorts and fixing my race belt, but back on the course in under a minute.

Any of these foods should help:
Rice
Pasta and noodles
Oatmeal
Barley
Fresh white breads such as French or sourdough (NOT whole wheat or whole grain)*
Rice cereals
Flour tortillas
Soy
Quinoa
Corn meal
Potatoes
Carrots
Yams
Sweet potatoes
Turnips
Rutabagas
Parsnips
Beets
Squash and pumpkins
Mushrooms
Chestnuts
Avocados (though they do have some fat)
Bananas
Applesauce
Mangoes
Papayas (also digestive aids that relieve gas and indigestion)

It helps people with IBS.

+1. You're eating too much pre-race. Eat what you'd normally eat up to the event, just avoid fiber the last day. Perp has been my prerace "meal" for years, but 2 1/2 scoops max.

pre race day food:
white rice is better than brown rice.
white bread is nice as well, avoid dark brown bread and avoid bread if you are not used to it. If you eat bread, stay with a kind of bread you normally eat. A new kind of bread can really upset your stomach.
avoid vegetables the last day, maybe even the last two days.

pre race, I would do white bread with something sweet on it, about 2 hrs before the race. Then I eat something small (one bar) 5 minutes before the start. I have a pretty strong stomach, but about the only thing that can kill my stomach is too much malto dextrin. Malto dextrin doesn't work for me. So for me something solid on race morning, and something solid during race day. Best solid food for me is chocolate bars. I love them in t1 and t2... Lots of energy, and I never had stomach issues, and nothing tastes better!

I agree with some of the others who say not to change your diet much heading into race day. It has taken me a while to come to that conclusion, but it makes the most sense to me now.

+1 to the not changing your fiber intake much if you are already pretty regular - if you stop eating fiber too soon and your body is used to having it, you may end up unhappy later into your race.

Another +1 to the not eating tons in the days leading up to the race - we work so hard to take 10oz off the weight of our bike, but then will eat ourselves to gain 2-3 lbs before the race? Even if it is "just water weight", it is still weight you are having to carry with you at some point during the day.

As for my pre-race meal, the night before is usually pasta or pizza, both of which are regular parts of my diet. Race morning this year for CDA was 2 slim fasts. That was it, and it worked perfectly for me. Before every long training ride or run, 1 slim fast is my breakfast. I drink it in the car on the way to the training session, so usually about 15 minutes before I start. This breaks every rule you read about pre-race/pre-training meals, but it works for me. For IM morning I had one slim fast about 1.5-2 hours before the race, then another as I was putting my wetsuit on around 30 min before we went in. I have done the 2 slimfast thing before all 3 IMs and works great for me. I use Kroger brand regular formula with 230 calories - getting harder to find the "full calorie" versions because they are all "optima" stuff now with reduced calories/increased fake junk.

I use infinit on the bike and run and could not be happier. I had to make an "emergency" pit stop at mile 24 of the run in CDA, but to make it that far into the race with no issues whatsoever is good to me.

As far as the immodium, I do also take 1 caplet (1/2 dose) before every long run - almost as insurance. If I forget it, I may be fine on the run but sometimes after my stomach can do a number on me for the rest of the day. I took 2 the morning of CDA, but seriously doubted that dose lasted much longer than somewhere on the first loop of the bike. I always carry it with me in races though if I need it, or more often, someone else needs it.

Good luck!!

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Kathleen
http://kcwoodhead.blogspot.com/

I just finished IMCDA as my first IM. Similar to Kathleen, I eat pizza/pasta the night before then for this particular race I was able to get up 3 hours before the race start and drink two Ensures and one cup of coffee. Then about 10 to 15 minutes before the swim began I had one Hammer gel followed with some water. That was plenty for me to make it through the swim, but I am about 5'9" with a race weight of about 145 lbs. I too used the new caffe latte flavour perpetuem on the bike mixed into a 7 hour paste. I had a squeeze of the Perpetuem every half hour exactly followed by a couple of swallows of water. That worked very well for me, but obviously everyone is deifferent. Good luck!

Here what has been working for me but my issue was nausea with perpetuem:

- night before small piece of grilled salmon, rice (preferably brown but usually at the mercy of the hotel restaurant ,side of veggies (asparagus this time) and some bread
-breakfast at 4am of bowl of oatmeal, 2 scrambled eggs and coffee
- one bottle of infinit (no protein 260 cal) to sip during transition/prep throughout the morning
- on the bike 2 bottles of infinit (with protein but less than perpetuem as it only has 4g per 280 cal serving) that are concentrated to have 3 servings in each bottle (840 calories per bottle or 1680 for the entire ride) with water from the course as needed (approx 24 ounces every 45-60 min depending on heat)
- on the bike I also eat a few bites of a PB&J at about mile 40-50 just to have something solid
- on the run more infinit concentrate with protein, 1 280 cal serving per hour is the plan, at CDA ditched the infinit at about mile 17 and switched to broth and ate some pretzels as I was tired of the infinit.....

Two things:

1. Psyllium Husk. It is a super fiberous supplement that will help regulate your guts. If you're clogged up it helps get it moving, if you have the squirts, it helps tighten everything up. It also makes you super regular and predictable. Available at ALL health food stores and most supermarkets. I live by it and bow to it on race morning.

2. Pre Race Meal: Eat a heavy lunch and a light dinner. Gives your body plenty of time to digest the products and it will still top off your carb tank. I love eating Chipotle Burritos before a race or long workout day. Seems to fit me and the contents are a good mix of carbs, protein and veggies. Tastes awesome too.

**Breakfast! You need long burning, complex carbs. Whole grains like Oatmeal, flax, etc. Oatmeal w/ raisins, sugar and cinnamon, 2 eggs and OJ (Vit C helps with Protein absorption). Also one bottle of sports drink of your choice. Most people wake in a state of slight dehydration. Take in 12-24 oz of sports drink at least 1 hour before race.

Perpetuem is a great product, but it is a supplement, not a meal. There is no substitution for a well rounded meal. Get your GI issue on a predictable schedule then start experimenting with foods.

Hope this works, it did for me. Just finished IM CdA and had a great race and a great day!! First IM and had ZERO GI issues.

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Remember, one man's ceiling is another man's floor.